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From Altercation:

Van Morrison and Solomon Burke on Friday night; James Cotton and Johnny Winter two blocks away in Central Park for free, last night; Brian Wilson on my block tonight; Buddy Guy and Los Lobos, ditto, Tuesday night; me at PS 321 Wednesday night; Suzy Boguss at The Bottom Line or Elvin Jones at The Blue Note or Southside Johnny on a boat Thursday night — hmm, WWJD? — and Rosanne in Prospect Park on Friday night. He’d go to that, for sure, and not only because it’s free. But I gotta go to the Mets/Yankees game.) And I didn’t even mention the best part of all — the beginning of the JVC Jazz Fest. Admit it. You wished you lived here.

Last night I dreamed that I arrived in New York with a couple of suitcases and immediately moved into an apartment. It was all very stressful, and not voluntary. (I think I had to be there to work on something musical.) But when I was settled in, I thought, "At last, I get to live in New York!"

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Artemis Records head Danny Goldberg's new book Dispatches from the Culture Wars sounds really good, by which I mean it caters to my preexisting beliefs. The Democratic Party has lost touch with progressive ideals, Goldberg argues, by losing its connection with popular culture. Thanks to Salon, you can read the excerpt I copied this from:

The weirdest thing about the political shift to the right is that it has occurred during a time when virtually every cultural battle in America has been won by the left. People who have fought for abortion rights, free speech, gay and lesbian rights, and racial equality can look at a country transformed in their image. Yet most leaders in the political left and the Democratic party have profoundly mixed feelings about their cultural allies.

And there's also a terrific ( interview. )

If you decide not to buy Goldberg's book, you can still buy stuff from his record label: I recommend Jay Farrar's fantastic alt-pop-country album Sebastopol, available from Miles of Music.